Jul. 30—SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham intends to add legislation dealing with privately run immigration detention facilities to the agenda of a New Mexico special session that’s likely to be called within the next two months, her top attorney told lawmakers Wednesday.
But legislative debate on a slew of bills dealing with juvenile crime and firearm restrictions is expected to be delayed until the 30-day session that starts in January.
“Those are going to be bills we want to make sure we have plenty of time and consensus on,” Holly Agajanian, the governor’s chief general counsel, told members of the legislative Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee during a meeting in Mescalero.
The Governor’s Office has not yet set a specific date for a special session this year, though Lujan Grisham has signaled on several occasions she was considering calling lawmakers back to Santa Fe this year.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Agajanian said the governor is eyeing late August or early September for the special session, but said no final decision has been made.
She also said a state-level response to a federal budget bill that’s projected to lead to more than 90,000 New Mexico residents losing their health care coverage would be a primary focus of the special session. Such a response could also include steps to reinforce a food assistance program that provides benefits to roughly 460,000 New Mexicans.
But Lujan Grisham is also planning to add other issues to the special session agenda for lawmakers’ consideration, including bills dealing with felons in possession of guns and the state’s definition of danger to one’s self and others.
In addition, legislation banning New Mexico local governments from entering into contracts with federal agencies to detain immigrants for civil violations could also be in the special session mix.
“This is not necessarily an exhaustive list for a special session call, but it reflects the governor’s current concerns,” Lujan Grisham spokesman Michael Coleman said Wednesday.
Legislation targeting private immigration detention centers passed the state House on a 35-25 vote during this year’s 60-day session, but stalled in a Senate committee.
New Mexico currently has three private detention centers — in Torrance, Cibola and Otero counties — that operate via intergovernmental service agreements between local counties and the federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
Legislators still digesting special session menu
During Wednesday’s hearing, some legislators lauded the governor’s decision to include immigration-related legislation on the special session agenda amid President Donald Trump’s mass deportation push.
“I think the government should not be complicit with detaining people in this way,” said Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, D-Albuquerque, who said she’s been denied entry to private immigration facilities during unannounced visits.
Sedillo Lopez said the facilities are generally not subject to state oversight, since they are run by private companies under contracts issued by the federal government.
But Sen. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, the chairman of the Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee, said he’s opposed a de facto ban on private immigration detention facilities in past years.
“If we shut down the New Mexico beds, they’re just going to send them somewhere else,” said Cervantes, who added he’s trying to organize a committee tour of the Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral next month.
Sen. Crystal Brantley, R-Elephant Butte, criticized the governor’s plan to add immigrant detention facilities to the special session agenda, saying crime and child welfare should be higher priorities.
“Our president has taken illegal immigration to the lowest numbers ever, but here we are finding a way to use taxpayer dollars to pick a fight with the administration for cheap political points,” Brantley said in a statement. “Meanwhile, we’re leaving serious bipartisan juvenile justice reform efforts out in the cold.”
“I’m deeply upset yet not surprised that this is shaping up to be another special session of hot air,” she added.
Governor’s special session history
When a proclamation is officially issued, the special session would be the seventh such session called by Lujan Grisham since she took office in 2019. Under the state Constitution, special sessions can last for up to 30 days in New Mexico and their agendas are set by the governor.
Last year, the governor called lawmakers back to Santa Fe for a crime-focused special session. But the Democratic-controlled Legislature largely rejected the governor’s agenda and adjourned after just five hours.
That prompted Lujan Grisham to say the Legislature should be “embarrassed,” though lawmakers subsequently approved some crime-related measures sought by the governor during this year’s session.